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The City of Telperion
The City of Telperion is located on the River Tarya, and is the captial city of the Grandy Duchy of Jow, which comprises the southern tip of the Celestrian mainland. The 2014 census recorded a population of 602,148 people, making it the nth largest city in the Empire of Celestria. The City of Telperion encompasses a land area of approximately 128 square kilometres, giving it a population density 4700 people per square kilometre. Telperion is known for being an intellectual haven, being home to the most prestigious research university in the world; the University of Telperion. The city has the highest density of PhDs, with 1 in 40 000 inhabitants having obtained their PhD. The city is also home to the Celapfey World Science Conference, the largest scientific conference in the world. Telperion is also well known for its immense, multi-layered bureaucracy, and its bizarre form of governance. Governance of the City of Telperion The City of Telperion, unlike other cities in the Grand Duchy of Jow, is directly ruled by the Duke of Jow, and a municipal privy council appointed by the Duke of Jow. Compared to other cities in the Grand Duchy of Jow, the City of Telperion is quite autonomous, with jurisdiction over municipal revenue, intracity transport, policing and firestations, healthcare management, education management, planning and development, public utilities, waste management, social services, consumer protection, housing, licensing, cemeteries, and libraries. Bureaucracy in Telperion The City of Telperion is run through a large system of bureaus, ministries, and offices. The bureaucracy within the city is organized in a two tiered system. The upper tier is comprised of Imperial, State, and Municipal administrative departments and offices. The lower tier is comprised of several offices that act as intermediates between the citizens of Telperion and the upper tier. All citizens must first go through the lower tier before they are allowed access to upper tier departments. Certain departments have more than one intermediate level, such as the Office of Consumer Protection. This large system of bureaucracy has been criticized by many, who state that it is inefficient, and unnecessarily complicated. Author C.M. Leander has stated that "in Telperion, one must first fill out fifty forms and sign on one-thousand dotted lines before one is even allowed to lay eyes on the correct form." A notable example of unnecessary complications is the bylaw in Telperion which states that different offices, ministries, bureaus etc. in the city bureacuracy must have unique formats and conventions for filling out and processing forms. The same bylaw also states that the rules and conventions for such forms may only be made available to individuals if they fill out an official request form. Despite this copmlex system citizens of Telperion are quick to defend their city's system of bureaucracy. When asked what they think about it, citizens invariably repeat the phrase "His Grace, the Duke of Jow, has provided us with a most exceptional means of interacting with our government, and we should be quite remiss if anyone were to change our lovely city", verbatim. 'By-Laws and Recommendations' All legislation concerning the City of Telperion is created by the Duke of Jow and/or the Municipal Privy Council, and then approved by the Duke of Jow. All legislation takes either the form of a city by-law, or in the form of an Official Recommendation. Official Recommendations are a form of legislation unique to the City of Telperion. They are generally concern social customs, and codes of conduct. Being recommendations they do not carry the full legal weight of by-laws as citizens may choose to disregard them. However, it is not unusual for people who choose not to follow Official Recommendations to find sharp increases in their taxes by the City of Telperion, though the City of Telperion categorically denies that such increases in taxes result from not following Recommendations. 'Law Enforcement' The City of Telperion proudly boasts the lack of a police force within city limits. The official statement on the matter from the city is that "Telperion has no police force because a police force is not needed; crime does not occur here". Despite this, many suspect that the Ministry of Propriety is the de facto police force. Employees of the ministry are believed to pervaid Telperion society, and are constantly watching the inhabitants of the city. This, of course, is denied by the City of Telperion. Geography 'Topology' 'Climate' Telperion is one of the wettest cities in the entire Empire of Celestria. Annual precipitation, as measured at the the University of Telperion, averages 2 712 mm. The average daily maximum average temperature in July and August is 20 degrees Celsius, rarely reaching 25 degrees. On average, the city is covered in snow about four months of the year, from early December to mid March. During winter the average daily temperature is -5 degrees Celcius, rarely reaching -20 degrees. The city has one of the lowest average annual hours of sunlight, with it only recieving around 1000 hours of sunlight per year.